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Three members of the San Francisco 49ers spent their off day delivering good news to young people in Richmond. The players paid a visit to Richmond\u2019s RYSE Youth Center, spending time meeting and sharing experiences with the community members.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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RICHMOND, Calif.<\/strong> – <\/span>Three members of the San Francisco 49ers<\/a> spent their off day delivering good news to young people in Richmond.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “It\u2019s my job, even after making it out, making it to the NFL<\/a>, and trying to help and give back as best as I can,” said linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. “Let the kids know that they have somebody that\u2019s been there and made it out.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Al-Shaair, Marcelino McCrary-Ball and lineman Spencer Burford paid a visit to Richmond<\/a>\u2019s RYSE Youth Center, spending time meeting and sharing experiences with the community members. The 49ers selected the non-profit to be one of the recipients of its social justice grants. “What\u2019s so special about this organization is that it really is youth-driven,” said Stacy McCorkle, 49ers senior director of community relations.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The players took a tour of RYSE\u2019s facility, where young people of all backgrounds have created a community for and with each other. The staff and youth sharing a passion for social and racial justice. “This is a place where they can be creative, a place where they can heal, a place where they can organize it\u2019s really about safety,” said Kimberly Aceves-Iniguez, executive director and co-founded of RYSE.\u00a0 “Creating a container where young people can be their own selves.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sunny Thomas calls the community at RYSE her family. “RYSE is everything to me, I had mentors, I had people who just showed me every single day that they care.”\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thomas brought her challenges to RYSE in middle school, turning them into art and a commitment to her community. She now serves on the staff, giving back what she\u2019s received. “Going back to being that little girl, in that time, in that moment, if I could somehow manifest her into this space,” said Thomas. “She would feel so important, she would feel so heard that these famous people, who have all this money, all this access, who just had a game, took the time to be here.”\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These professional athletes took in the beats the students have created, sat down to paint with them, and made the partnership between RYSE and the Niners official, with a custom t-shirt. For Al-Shaair, it\u2019s hard not to see himself in these young people. Growing up, he experienced homelessness and poverty, overcoming challenge after challenge before becoming a Niner.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “When it comes to kids and poverty, there\u2019s not a lot of consistency,” said Al-Shaair. “I went to a different school every year, having a place like this where the kids are leading the way. “They have one place where they can come, and feel safe and consistent, you can\u2019t beat that.”\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Al-Shaair is on the Players Social Justice Council that helped the organization to receive this year\u2019s grants totaling $500,000. The money helping these groups advance societal change in the Bay Area. “It\u2019s our responsibility to support the community in the ways we feel are necessary,” said McCorkle. “Each organization we work with as their own way that they support righting the wrongs in the past that have been done to marginalized communities.”\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n